Traveling Cheap

The key to being able to travel often is traveling cheap. Doing so leaves you with plenty of capital to travel as often as you like.

Some keys to traveling cheap are setting a budget, avoiding expensive souvenirs and tourist traps, walking as often as possible, shopping around to find cheap flights, etc. Be sure to keep in mind that the greatest souvenir you can bring back from a vacation are the memories. So take some pictures and avoided bringing a giant rug.

No Free Lunches in Travel

Everyday we are bombarded by promotions everywhere. Many of these are travel promotions for things like a Free 4 night stay in a Mexico resort or a Free 3 night stay in a location of your choice. It's important when you see these to remember that nothing in life is free. Whether it's hidden costs to you, or a promotional marketing plan, somewhere money is going to be exchanged when you take advantage of these offers.

With that said, make sure you read the fine print, or our could find that that Free vacation ends up costing you more than what you budgeted for.

Tips for When a Good Flight Goes Bad

My wife and I recently were flying from Salt Lake City to New York City via a connecting flight in Ft. Worth, Texas. After we debarked the plane in Ft. Worth, we went to get a bite because we had 2 hours before our next flight. While we were eating, our connecting flight was canceled due to unknown reasons (probably because of weather). This led to a great deal of surprise when we went to our gate only to find that it said the flight was canceled. Additionally, there were no gate attendants to tell us what our next step should be. No one in the concourse had any information.

Eventually, I concluded to go out past the security checkpoint to the airline's front desk. There I talked to an attendant who placed me on a different flight on another airline that would leave within the hour. I went back through security and my wife and I quickly went to our new gate. On the way there, I got a phone call from the original airline telling me they had placed me on a later flight on their own airline that would leave many hours later than the one we were on. I ignored. We took the flight on the other airline. Enjoyed it far more than we did our original airline (they actually fed us food!) and ended up getting into New York only a little later than we had originally planned.

So what's the tip here? Talk to a real person when your flight gets canceled in the middle of your trip. Make sure they own up to the problem. Don't let them pass the responsibility on to you. This will make for a better trip and make sure you get the value you paid for.

2 Great Travel Ideas in a Recession

Cruises. Cruises have always been a great value because they provide all the food lodging and much of the entertainment. In this down economy with all the specials on cruises, they might be the overall best value in a vacation, period. You can see the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Europe, China, and more from the comfort of a cruise ship, and possibly pay as little as $75 a day for lodging, food and more.

Cheap vacation lodging tip: Book a rental house or condo for large groups. Unless you are in love with the amenities (like a 24-hour maid, room services, etc.) of a resort, hotel or motel, try renting a condo or home. If you are traveling with a large group, you can split the costs and can cook all your meals in full kitchens. This can save hundreds of dollars and you’ll have more space to relax, too.

Traveling in a Recession

There's a popular myth that when gas prices go up, then plane ticket prices go up as well. Get ready for a shock: It's not entirely true! The economics of how this works are a little sketchy, but airlines make more money by filling cheap seats than they do by charging more for regular seats. This is true because most people will just opt to not fly if the price of a ticket goes up, and they'll either stay home, or drive. Unless it's a business trip or an emergency, the typical person likes to save money, but also likes to have nice things. So with the perception that a ticket is 'discounted' people are more likely to purchase a plane ticket, even if they weren't planning on a trip, because who can pass up a cheap airline ticket?
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The Best Free Travel Guides

If you're traveling in the US, chances are you're going to need a guide of some kind while you're visiting a city you've never been to. Even if you have been to the city before, it's always nice to have a handy travel guide that you can refer to in case you are lacking for something to do.